BNPB: Many Sunda Strait Tsunami Victims Swept into Sea

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) said many victims of Sunda Strait Tsunami were carried away by the high wave into the sea. BNPB spokesperson Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said personnel of Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI) found several bodies while sweeping the sea surface.

“We have received information that [TNI's] Navy Boat (KRI) Cirebon 543 found dead bodies at waters of Oar Island in Sumur area", Sutopo said, adding that TNI team also found two bodies on Baduy Island and Handaulong Island in Sumur, Pandeglang district.

Sutopo said the victims were swept into the sea due to the long high sea waves that washed the land. Based on people’s report, he continued, the tsunami struck Carita Beach with a height of 2-2.5 meters which was evident from the mark in the trunk of coconut trees.

“That just happened in Carita, how about in the south area such as Tanjung Lesung, Cigeulis, Cigaliung, Cimangguh in Sumur subdistrict,” he noted, adding that varied height of tsunami caused different damages in each region.

Sutopo further said that a joint SAR team continuously evacuate and search for victims through land, sea, and air routes. However, the land evacuation is hindered due to lack of heavy equipment.

Sunda Strait Tsunami struck coastal areas of Banten and South Lampung on Saturday, December 22, 2018. Based on BNPB release per December 25, at 13:00 local time, the death toll increased to 429 people, while 1,485 people suffer injuries, 154 are still missing, and 16,082 were evacuated.

SYAFIUL HADI